Artisan Blog

Remember Art on Track!

Sharon Potsch — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 09:59:00 -0500

Be sure your weekend plans include Art on Track, the largest moving art gallery in the world on October 10 from 11 am to 8 pm. You can learn more about the exhibition here. For a $10 suggested donation, participants and hop on and off selected cars to view different aesthetics and media. Come and enjoy--we hope to see you there!

What, Me Worry?

Sharon Potsch — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:50:00 -0500

Unemployment hits an all-time high and we never know where our next paycheck will come from. It's enough to make any non-millionaire worry. Check out this article for a few worry-relief tips. Yes, it's written for women but it appeals to both genders! Check it out here.

Need a website?

Sharon Potsch — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:12:00 -0500

Ok, so we're all not web designers in the creative field. Template-driven websites abound (Coroflot for example) but how can you have a customized website that helps you stand out from the crowd? Check out this site. It lets you create a website without shelling out a fortune...neat concept!

Phone Not Ringing?

Sharon Potsch — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:04:00 -0500

Do you wonder why no one calls you back after sending in your resume? Yes the job market is flooded but sometimes you could be making mistakes in your submission process--and these mistakes are easily fixed. Check out this article to gain some insight into why (just maybe) your calls go unanswered during your job search. You can read it here.

Visiting Artist Program at FIT

Sharon Potsch — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 14:36:00 -0500

Over 400 design professionals and students will attend. Will you be one of them? The Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City welcomes Paula Scher as they recognize her talents and accomplishments at the upcoming Visiting Artists Program on October 5, 2009. The admission to this magnificent event is free and the event is open to the public. You can read more (and see some great typography) here. You can also read more about Paula Scher on our blog!

Annual AIGA Design Legends Gala

Sharon Potsch — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:05:00 -0500

The sixth annual AIGA Design Legends Gala will take place on Thursday, September 17th at the Waldorf Astoria, and Artisan is invited to be represented at the AIGA Chicago table.

This stellar fundraising event showcases the recipients of AIGA's finest awards including: AIGA Medal, AIGA Corporate Leadership Award, AIGA Fellow Award, and the 2009/2010 Wordstudio AIGA Scholarships. You can read more about the evening here.

Communication Arts Editor in Chicago

Sharon Potsch — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:46:00 -0500

Patrick Coyne, the editor and designer of Communication Arts, will be speaking in conjunction with the AIGA on Thursday, September 24. Patrick will discuss the innerworkings of this amazing publication and provide insight on how individuals are selected for features in the publication. What an opportunity! You can read more about this event (and register) here.

Art on Track

Sharon Potsch — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:51:00 -0500

What could be cooler than riding the el and actually looking up? Artisan is proud to be a sponsor of the largest moving art gallery in the world on October 10 from 11 am to 8 pm. You can learn more about the exhibition here. For a $10 suggested donation, participants can hop on and off selected cars to view different aesthetics and media. Hey, it sure beats closing your eyes to ignore the fray of el commuting. Come and enjoy--we hope to see you there!

No Dues Networking

Sharon Potsch — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 10:34:00 -0500

Networking for no dues? Impossible! No, actually it's not. For the price of a decent meal and a drink you can hob-nob with the best of them tonight at Salerno's on Grand as part of the non-profit group called the Chicago Creative Coalition. This is a tremendous opportunity to talk with people in the know about who's working, who's in-the-know, and who can help. Just pass a business card and make a connection. RSVP is required. Check out more about CCC on their website.

Show gratitude

Sharon Potsch — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:06:00 -0500

Gratitude. It’s an attitude, a thank-you note out of the blue, it’s an ease of not bringing negativity to the workplace. It’s really as simple as that. Let the boss know that you appreciate the steady work, the assurance of a job, your desk—something as simple as a safe work environment. You can dig up anything to be thankful for and that itself is the start of a positive attitude that may not only affect your work place, but your entire life.

Be smart about technology

Sharon Potsch — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:04:00 -0500

The company’s computer is not yours. It’s easy to cram your desktop full of photos, IM to your friends all day, or use your company’s inbox as your own personal Gmail account. But if the time comes that your gig is up, you’ll leave behind not only personal mementos, but a whole lot of private data.

Even if you freelance and are not working fulltime, take care not to cross the line with your company-issued computer. Especially with freelancing, every hour of your day is billable time. If you are in a lull during the day onsite with a client, find your hiring manager and propose something to do or at the very least browse the company’s style guide or internal database…at least that time could be considered “training.”

Twitter is search-able. Your updates can be privatized but if you’re ranting about your manager or workplace it’s not smart to do so in an online, social media forum. Back in junior high we freaked out if our Geology teacher grabbed a passed-note mid-pass, but now as adults we don’t seem to think twice about bashing bosses in online forums. There’s a good chance that anything you input into your computer can be noticed or read by someone in the company.

Above and beyond

Sharon Potsch — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:03:00 -0500

You may wonder: what good is it to go above and beyond when my manager who always worked all hours of the night just got canned? If you’re the last designer standing in your department you may look around at the empty cubes and just feel deflated. You may feel stuck and that you have nowhere to go. One way to distract yourself from a depressing office environment is to pick up a side project. If you have the time and mental capacities to add something to your plate, think about a project that you’ve always wanted to really get into and make some baby steps toward bringing it to fruition. When you go above and beyond for yourself—or better yet someone else who needs your talents—that feeling of good nature can bleed into the whole rest of the workday. That may even mean you snarl a lot less at your few remaining coworkers.

Keep your resume updated

Sharon Potsch — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:01:00 -0500

It is very difficult to write a resume. It's less difficult to keep adding information to a resume that's already written.

Keep your resume updated. It’s a good idea to document your current scope of responsibilities plus all of those new feathers you’re adding to your cap. You may just surprise yourself when you review your new resume and say, “Wow—I do all of this?” Plus when things get better financially for your current organization and the economy as a whole, your updated resume will arm you for a conversation for a raise. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Once you have your resume updated and samples compiled, you may feel a sense of calm knowing that if the unfortunate did happen you’ll be that much more prepared to start your job search.

Is your job search brandless?

Sharon Potsch — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:27:00 -0500

What's your brand? If your job search is brandless, the Chicago Print Production Club is hosting a cheap, highly recommended seminar on adding branding to your job search. The event is called, "You are your own agency" and you read about it and register here.

Are you too comfortable?

Sharon Potsch — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 08:57:00 -0500

Every day I talk with people who were totally and completely caught off guard and let go from their organization. Many were unable to obtain samples or left important data behind on their work computers. If you’re lucky enough to have a fulltime job, ask yourself this question: are you too comfortable? It’s not a great feeling to sit at your desk and ponder all the butts that would be more than happy to take your place (steady paycheck, a reason to shave in the morning, etc.) but it’s a good idea to reflect on how prepared you are in case you find yourself in the worst case scenario.

Save your samples
Large corporations, design firms, and advertising agencies have stipulations on how and when you can show samples of the projects you’ve worked on. Familiarize yourself with these regulations before you upload your latest project to your website. Once you know the rules, be sure to have a copy of everything you worked on. Download free software (Snag-It for example) if you’re a writer and take pictures of all of your work online. If a layoff should happen you will be prepared with loads of samples of your current work.

If it’s been awhile since you’ve organized your work (guilty as charged), devote a few minutes each day or week to start compiling your samples. My desktop is crammed with misnamed files, folders of screen shots, and general unorganized chaos. Take the time now when the work and money is steady to get your house in order.

It may feel awkward to get your proverbial ducks in a row. But if the worst case scenario should happen, you will not waste precious days of unemployment eligibility gathering all of your samples or calling favors on art directors who are busy with an understaffed department and can’t find the samples on the server: take them now.